I will be brutally honest. A Zubuchon is BEST consumed fresh off the coals, while steam is still coming out of its rear end. There are no ifs or buts (pun intended) about it. And if you live in Cebu City, that can certainly be arranged. Butt, :) after 9+ months of deliberation and experimentation, we introduced airfreighted Zubuchons a few months ago, with this announcement. We only did that after at least a dozen costly experiments to find the “ideal way” to prepare and ship the piggies with the least amount of degradation to quality. With that caveat, dozens of folks have ordered the whole lechon over the past couple of months and nearly all of our feedback has been positive, so if you want to order a whole Zubuchon for the holidays, here are the details. For the first time ever, we are also opening up orders to folks who live abroad, and would like to send their family in Manila a lechon for the Christmas holidays.

What are the sizes and prices of Zubuchons?

Zubulight (Total cooked weight of 5-7 kilos range, average around 6 kilos) PHP4,200 or USD98.00 (Marketman recommends this one the LEAST, as the diminutive size means the skin is more likely to soften in transit)

These prices are inclusive of all handling and air freight charges for Manila, customers MUST PICK UP their lechons at the PAL or Cebu Pacific air cargo terminals (very easy, directions below). For the Zubuchon medium-sized lechon, the average effect cost per kilo is roughly PHP436 a kilo, or roughly 20-30% cheaper than Manila lechon prices. And most of you know the story… we use backyard raised pigs, all natural and organic stuffing ingredients whenever possible, we have happier pigs, NO ADDED MSG or mixes, employ human lechoneros to hand turn the piggies on bamboo poles, and focus on taste, not looks. :)

Why do most lechon purveyors avoid the question of how much their lechons weigh? And what is the right way to figure out how many people a lechon serves?

Lechon producers dodge the question of weight, because it seems that the size of lechons can vary by season. During the peak December season, folks sometimes charge the same “low” prices, but deliver a smaller pig (I once thought of taking ads out with the tagline “Did your holiday lechon go on a diet?”. In other words, know what you are buying and if you are truly getting good value. The reason there is a range of weights provided is because each pig varies in yield of cooked meat. They might weigh the same alive, but be as much as 20% less heavy than the other once cooked… it’s a quirk of the business, and is a bit unpredictable. However, over time, we have tracked our deliveries and know the average weights we delivered over time, so you can expect to be within the stated range 98% of the time. Also, here’s another trick to know. If you order lechons for air freight delivery, the airwaybill should state the weight of the package when it was dropped off at the Cebu cargo area, and thus its easy for you to see just how much the cooked weight of your lechon really is, give or take a few hundred grams for the packaging, without bothering to weigh it when you get home. :)

It personally drives me totally nuts when a purveyor refuses to state cooked weight of their lechons, but very blithely offers the number of servings that the lechon is supposed to provide. If you don’t know the cooked weight, you wouldn’t logically know the number of servings. At Zubuchon, our formula is dead simple. If lechon is the main part of your feast, we think you should plan on about 300 grams serving size per diner (some of this inevitably bones). Females tend to eat less, hungry males more, and it evens out. Unless you intend to totally pig-out, literally, 300 grams is a reasonable figure, in our opinion. As such, if you order a lechon with a cooked weight of say 16.5 kilos, AND logically remove say 4.0 kilos worth of the heavy head, feet and other parts, then the net “meat” weight is roughly 12.5 kilos, and should feed roughly 40 people, with no leftovers. If you want more skin per diner and or leftovers for paksiw, pritchon, flakes, etc. get a bigger lechon. If you want to compare across different purveyors, just fix your serving size and when you know the total weight, less the figure for head, etc., then you will know how many it will reasonably serve.

How do we ship our lechons? What are the best flights to use for particular meals?

Our preferred freight carrier is Philippine Airlines. But with strike rumors looming, we may also use Cebu Pacific or other carriers. On the 24th of December and 31st of December, cargo space is sometimes limited. So we may have to limit shipments to Manila as dictated by the airlines. Besides, our order books for those two days are nearly, if not already full. On other days, we have NEVER had a situation where the airline has refused carriage due to a lack of space. The lechons are packed in boxes, sealed and shipped airfreight.

If you are ordering for lunch, we recommend the 9:05am departure arriving at cargo area Manila at roughly 10:45-11am. If you are ordering for an early dinner, say at 6:30-7:00 p.m., then specify the 3:35pm flight, arriving cargo area by about 5:15pm. If you are eating late, say 8:30pm or so, you could try the 5:15pm flight, arriving the cargo area by 7-7:15pm. We also send on other flights if necessary. You should consume your lechon within 3-4 hours after it arrives in Manila or refrigerate/freeze it for consumption at a later time. We cannot be responsible for airline delays and cannot guarantee delivery times. But I will say that in the past couple of months, we have had a 100% delivery rate, with only a few delays of 30+ minutes or so…

Who to call or email for inquiries and additional information:

Please call +63.32.236.5264 during normal office hours or call/text our cellphone at 0917.627.4761 on weekends and off hours. Look for Victor, Beverly, Roger or Eva.

You can also email the team at zubufoods@yahoo.com

How many days in advance do I need to place my order?

For peak holiday periods PLEASE place your orders as early as possible. We have production limits every day and will have to turn away customers when our limits are reached. Each lechon is hand-turned, so we can only manage several dozen a day. Payments must be confirmed and received in our bank account at least 2 business days before the delivery date. For those of you abroad, remittances can sometimes take a couple of days to be received in the Philippines. Payments at this stage are only through cash or bank transfers. We do not accept any credit cards.

Where/how exactly do you pick up the lechons at the Manila airport and is it a hassle?

Almost all of our lechons are shipped via Philippine Airlines. Once a flight arrives, passenger baggage is off-loaded, then cargo is off-loaded and sent directly to the cargo area. For PAL, the pick-up is incredibly easy once the cargo has arrived. The following is a detailed set of photos to find the cargo terminal. After your first visit, it will be a breeze to do follow-up visits. Oh, and don’t forget, the name of the person PICKING UP the lechon must be the person whose name appears on the airwaybill number.

Head towards the PAL terminal on the main airport road. You will hit the “inspection area” where the guards often ask you to stop, roll down your window and point a flashlight at your glove compartment. Of course if you had ill-intentions, you would know this and stash your firecrackers under the seat instead. Pass through this area and smile at the guard if you desire.

Roughly 50 meters down the road you will see the ramp up to the departure area of Terminal 2. Do NOT go up the ramp, veer right instead, as if heading for the arrival area.

You will see a curve in the road headed right, under the sign that says “Terminal 1”, take this RIGHT turn…

…and you will indeed see Terminal 1 (that Marcos era terminal, long outgrown and often without functioning bathrooms) in the distance unless the smog is really bad that day… :)

After roughly 200-300 meters, on the left side of the road, you will see a low-lying building with a sign “PAL Cargo”…

Turn left when you reach the entrance gate.

Stop in front of the loading docks under the sign PAL Cargo and if your cargo has been unloaded, you should have it and head out of the area in less than 10 minutes. The area is spacious and safe. We have picked up dozens of packages here. And another tip, if you are planning to return from the province with tons of extra baggage, just send the baggage by air freight, its much cheaper than checking it into your flight as excess baggage. :)

Finally, if you made it this far down the post, and you are ONE OF THE FIRST 25 Marketmanila.com readers to place an order for a medium-sized lechon (PHP7,200) Zubuchon for airfreight delivery to Manila starting right now, then you will receive 1 kilo of frozen lechon sisig completely free (an otherwise PHP500-600 peso value). All you have to do when you place your order is say you read marketmanila.com and you want the “FISHPAN” deal. Happy Holidays from Marketman and the Zubuchon crew, we hope you and/or your family and friends enjoy your Zubuchon!

freeze, yes of course I am connected with Zubuchon — I and the crew invented the Zubuchon, essentially our take on Cebu lechon. You may want to read the history in this link. As for prices, these are for lechons sent to Manila. In Cebu, our prices at PHP450/kilo at BTC mall, slightly higher in the domestic airport departure lounge. For whole lechons in Cebu, we offer lechons from PHP3,500 and upwards during the holiday season…

Dec 10, 2010 | 9:22 pm

rhea
says:

freeze, MM is Zubuchon! :-)

Dec 10, 2010 | 9:24 pm

FoodieInTexas
says:

Cebu will be in my itinerary next time I visit the Philippines just so I could try Zubuchon fresh off the coal :) It looks delish based on the pics. I bet the skin is so crisp (hay, this i when I wish I still live in Manila).

Dec 10, 2010 | 9:42 pm

Junb
says:

freeze! Go to archives and you’ll know how zubuchon started :)…all the handwork of MM and the crew

I want to go back to Cebu to try this “while steam is still coming out of its rear end”.

Dec 10, 2010 | 10:35 pm

k. ramos
says:

I LOLed at thre “FISHPAN” deal…. hehehe

Dec 10, 2010 | 11:03 pm

sister
says:

Wow, you could be turning lechon night and day until Three Kings! I’m just about to order a suckling pig to roast on Christmas Eve… NYC oven version.

Dec 11, 2010 | 12:18 am

enna jensen
says:

Just finished our party with of course, zubuchon nga lami jud kaayo. Hope you can experiment sa akong gidala nga goat\s cheese. I gave it to one of your crew in btc.

Dec 11, 2010 | 12:25 am

jhaz
says:

I want some zubuchon now,oh gosh. You are simply the best MM!

Dec 11, 2010 | 12:42 am

peanut
says:

Hahahahaha..FIshpan is si funny!We’ll be going home for the holidays but my sister has already ordered our lechons in Ormoc so I’ll pass for the Christmas/New Year season.Maybe when we come back from Singapore we’ll go past your airport stall.

Merry christmas to you and your family and to all the marketmanila readers.

All the best.Cheers

Dec 11, 2010 | 4:37 am

netoy
says:

Drool galore especially after seeing the 1st picture… I so wish I am in Cebu right now to pig out (pun intended!)… Thanks, MM!!

enna, I am so happy you enjoyed your zubuchon… and many thanks for your kind “regalo”… I hope the rest of your holiday stay is wonderful… daghang salamat!

Dec 11, 2010 | 5:48 am

Bubut
says:

i’ll just try zubuchon on January 2011 while im on vacation at Cebu!

Dec 11, 2010 | 4:26 pm

F
says:

Hi MM, I’m one of the few weird folk who actually enjoys paksiw na lechon over inihaw na lechon. Question: do you find that how an inihaw na lechon was prepared heavily influences the outcome of paksiw na lechon? Or does the flavor come from the lechon sauce, vinegar and watever else you may use to make the paksiw? Have you ever tried making paksiw na lechon with zubuchon and lechon from another purveyor and comparing the outcomes?

F, for me, the main problem for paksiw with some commercial lechons is their incredible reliance on MSG. It clearly comes out in the paksiw as well. I LOVE PAKSIW na lechon, it’s a childhood thing. I used to like it almost more than lechon, because the lechons my grandmother used to send to Manila for our birthdays always seemed to arrive a bit soggy… so the paksiw the next day became my favorite use of the leftovers. But once we started cooking our own lechons, and eating them minutes off the fire, my appreciation for the roast pig rose immensely.

When I cook a paksiw today, I often make it not from leftovers, but from a 1 or 2 kilo pack of meaty lechon pieces (ours of course, because I get a break on the price…) and it turns out more like a luxurious stew. See recipe here. And a less stylized version in a palayok, here. The key is the vinegar (do NOT use datu puti or other chemical driven vinegar, use good coconut or sugar cane vinegar, or good apple cider vinegar) and of course the lechon sauce matters, homemade liver sauce rather than bottled is always better…

Dec 11, 2010 | 6:06 pm

raton
says:

In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, they cook rats just like Lechon… on a stick

Dec 11, 2010 | 8:21 pm

dren
says:

Hi MM, is the preparation of the homemade liver sauce something you can share with us?

Dec 11, 2010 | 9:28 pm

Zena
says:

I’m visiting in April. Debating whether to go to Cebu or have it airfreighted to Manila… Yum!

Alex, I think you misread the post. We DO NOT SHIP internationally. We are shipping lechons from Cebu to Manila, and opening up orders to folks from abroad, who would like to arrange to send a lechon to relatives in the Manila area. I thought that was fairly clear from the post above.

Besides, for most international destinations besides Hong Kong and Singapore, it would probably be difficult, if not illegal to import cooked meat. Into the Middle East, definitely a no-no. Also, this is COOKED meat, and will not last more than a a few hours after it is shipped from Cebu…

My apologies if you were confused, and wasted good money on a call, but we do NOT send lechons across borders. Thanks.

Marnisa, we have sent to Davao before. However, there are fewer flights to choose from, so the timing is less appropriate for lunch/dinner. We would like fllight times to be as close to meal times as possible. But we have done Davao before…

Actually, there is a Cebu Pacific flight doing Cebu-Dgte-Cebu early in the morning once a day or every other day i think. Might jack up the freight cost though. Does that mean the Zubuchon won’t last the 3 hr Ocean Jet fastboat from Cebu to Dumaguete?

Dec 13, 2010 | 8:28 pm

Junb
says:

MM, you may want to put one or two zubuchon @ Salcedo Sunday market during the Christmas holiday for retail for Market Manila reader who cant afford the whole one but dying to have a taste of it :)

Junb, sorry, holidays are a crazed period and the team is in Cebu, not Manila. If you know someone coming in from Cebu, maybe you could ask them to pick up just a kilo or two of lechon at the departure lounge of the Cebu airport… that’s the most convenient small portion way to experience the lechon… :)

Nadia, I wouldn’t recommend a lechon on the ferry as, the jostling up and down on the waves might affect the quality… But we have had customers box them and take them with them to Bohol, so you might consider that. But at the moment, with the busy Christmas season, the team has its hands full with just local and airfreight orders…

Dec 13, 2010 | 9:41 pm

Melissa
says:

Went to Cebu roundtrip yesterday for work and picked up Zubuchon at the airport like I always do. So good!!! Fought with my fiance over the skin, I won of course but I have a feeling that after we get married its every man for himself. Hahaha. =) You rock MM!

MM, will place an order tonight, is the deal still good :). Not sure if you remember my comment about lechon in North America, I don’t mean the actual operations here but may be packaged (dehydrated ones, like the Japanese packaging) or canned?

One can only ask :)

Cheers and more power to you. Love your writing, informative and entertaining.

thanks for the link MM, never realized that MM = Zubuchon. It’s never too late to say… Congratulations!

Dec 18, 2010 | 8:19 pm

choy
says:

Hi MM. Just got back from Davao and had lechon there. Pretty good, but Zubuchon still much better! Taking a chance here, but the wife just got this idea to have lechon for Christmas Day lunch. Are you taking orders for Christmas Day? For pick up in Manila. The kids pleaded with me to do this. I said I would call, but they figure this would be a better way since it would go straight up to the main man. Merry Christmas!

Dec 20, 2010 | 7:27 am

choy
says:

Pls disregard that last post. Already placed my order by phone and your crew member Roger assured me we’re having Zubuchon for lunch on Dec 25. Woohoo!

1st issue, I had to pick up both pigs in the Cebu pacific cargo instead of PAL because they said that they were not able to make the PAL flight. (That’s forgivable since it was only a half hour set back)

2nd and most disappointing issue both zubuchons came in with soggy skin, I can say that it was the worst lechon skin I have ever seen and coming from someone from Chicago that’s bad. (This is not forgivable they obviously did something wrong here since both pigs came in that way, and unless market man sends me a free zubuchon to prove me wrong I will not partake of this hyped lechon ever)

jake, please email me the name under which the orders were sent and the delivery dates, and I will definitely look into it… and get back to you. We have sent nearly 150 lechons to Manila in the past two weeks and this is our first negative feedback from a customer, so I would definitely like to figure out what happened and correct it if possible. Many thanks.

Dec 26, 2010 | 8:54 pm

choy
says:

HI MM. Same situation as Jake. The lechon came via Cebu Pacific and it was really soggy and cold as stone. The wife however, chopped it up, threw it in the oven and it turned out ok. But it delayed our Christmas lunch by over an hour. And I didn’t get to boast of awhole lechon from Cebu at the lunch table.

choy and jake, I just checked with staff, and it seems both airlines insisted on very early delivery to their cargo areas, and PAL, despite meeting that requirement, refused to load the lechons and we scrambled to get them on another flight. It’s the first time we have used Cebu Pacific to Manila for the lechons and while there were some 8-10 lechons on that flight, 6 of them arrived in reasonable shape, while three of them appear to be worse for wear, even given the long period since they came off the flames. My apologies for these less than ideal lechons. The lechons should be cool, as they are packed that way to avoid steaming in their own heat, a situation that does result in even soggier skin. Will have to check on our procedures and I appreciate your feedback. Jake, office staff have already contacted you. Choy, will have them get back to you. Many thanks.

Dec 28, 2010 | 4:46 pm

jacq
says:

Hi! I just texted my order of Zuchon (small) for Friday, I know it’s super late, but I hope to receive a response tomorrow. I would like to ask if I can also order Lechon Sisig?
I would like to avail of that fishpan deal but my son’s Christening is over, but I will definitely order the medium sized Zubuchon for his 1at birthday but that will be on May 19 pa. Nevertheless, please take note of the date and my order, I can even pay for it in advance just to make sure that we will have Zubuchon for my little boy’s first birthday!

Jan 2, 2011 | 2:47 am

jacq
says:

Finally! I was able to pay for my order of Zubuchon, deposited Php5900 for a small one, sabi nung nakausap ko. I thought you had smaller size and I was ordering that since we will just have it as our ulam on Friday, pero since I am craving for Zubuchon, okey na rin. I hope it won’t disappoint me..can’t wait till it’s Friday MM! I asked for sisig, pero the manong cannot address my concern? I want to order pa naman sana. =(

Jan 5, 2011 | 10:33 pm

jacq
says:

Finally! I was able to taste the “infamous” Zubuchon, and true to MM’s promise…it’s the BEST lechon EVER! The lechon’s skin was still crispy and I love the fact that this Cebu-made lechon is the leanest, among all the other Lechon Cebu that we have tried, incomparable…if we are talking about lechons from Manila!

I couldn’t complain with the price, the Zubuchon that I got was competitively priced, came in a very decent packaging, and the aroma of all the stuffings inside, made everyone ask for more! I put some of those precious stuffing in a bowl,mixed them with vinegar, and used it as our dipping sauce..wow..HEAVEN!
The idea of using rosemary, bell peppers, onions, crushed garlic, lemongrass, peppercorns and other herbs and spices made it more special, and I love the fact that this Zubuchon is well-priced despite the fact that it was meticulously prepared, well-seasoned, and carefully wrapped and sent to PAL cargo, to ensure that it will reach our dining table in the most delectable manner! GOURMET lechon is Zubuchon, it is so YUMMY that I am encouraging every Pinoy to give it a try, this is the BEST lechon ever !

I can’t imagine how good it is if If we can have it fresh off the coals!

I am very satisfied and will definitely order again, I will make sure that Zubuchon will be our main dish on my son’s 1st birthday party!

Jacq, thank you for your order and comments. I am happy to hear you were happy with the Zubuchon you received. We had a few lechons on a particular flight on Christmas day that seem to have been worse for wear in transit. I am thrilled that you felt it was good value as well. For some reason, we have taken on a totally premium perception among consumers, despite the fact that our retail lechon in Cebu is just PHP450 a kilo and that of the biggest producer who have an outlet at the SM mall charge PHP440 a kilo… :) Also, folks ordering whole lechons should get in the habit of WEIGHING what arrives in their homes, figuring out the effective per kilo cost. On that front, we are confident Zubuchon is very competitive. Thanks again for your order and comments.

Jan 7, 2011 | 8:35 pm

TRO1017
says:

Hi, Market Man. Why don’t you have a store in Manila? 3 of my nephews are graduating this March, thinking of sending one for my family back home :)

TRO1017, the business was set up by my crew in Cebu, where they all live. Setting up in Manila will entail finding a large enough property where we can roast, a full slaughterhouse license/facility, and a prep kitchen, delivery vans, etc. We haven’t been able to fully meet demand in Cebu yet, so Manila isn’t even on the radar yet. :)

Feb 5, 2011 | 7:16 am

beth
says:

Hi MM, its our 35 anniversary yesterday so we try your lechon. We would enjoy more of it, kung di sana napa-alat ang timpla ng skin. Try to lessen the salt please so that i can eat more of your lechon next time and for our health too.

beth, thanks for your feedback. Cebu lechons do tend to be a bit saltier than those from Luzon, however, at Zubuchon we use no MSG at all. It’s possible a section of skin got more than its share of salt sprinkled on, but the measures of salt to weight of pig are standardized. Thank you.

May 1, 2011 | 7:26 pm

Francis
says:

Hello MM,

I’ve read a lot of gopod feedbacks of appreciation regarding the taste of your famous lechon. They say after you recieve it ” still you can really guarantee it’s crispy skin”

Please tell me if you accept order from cebu to iloilo of One (1) small size lechon for my wife’s birthday as a gift on September 2, 2011.How much is the total cost of the lechon.including freight for Cebu Pacific Airport?..Please send details,payment scheme, and ETA for pick up. (Note: I dont have a credit card) you can send thru bank transfer account for payment…. Thanks

Jul 23, 2011 | 8:02 pm

Martin Dela Paz
says:

Hi Marketman:
I would be ordering Zubulight for pick up on August 6, 2011. I would be bringing this back to manila and my flight is scheduled for 1900H of the same day.